


Once in a dream...

by HumptyDumpty



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Gen, Introspection, on Dahlia's part
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 14:16:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14451036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HumptyDumpty/pseuds/HumptyDumpty
Summary: Drenched in sweat, Dahlia found herself staring at the usual ceiling of her room. Only dim, early morning light filtered through the curtains and her vision was fuzzy. So, even though this was the one place she was supposed to find the most familiar, it took her a few seconds to adjust to reality. Or was this yet another dream?





	Once in a dream...

**Author's Note:**

> I hadn't felt inspired in a while as you can see, but the Layton series never disappoints. I apologize for the lack of British-ness but as an Italian who mostly uses internet English... eh.

Dahlia couldn't recall the last time she'd considered that place a park.

And yet there she was, with the distinct knowledge of it being a park. For once it didn't seem to be a far-fetched assumption either; greenery sprouted up all around, birds chirped from the trees surrounding the various stalls, and even the latter had regained much of their dignity and colour. Delicious smells reached her nostrils while her eyes wandered from one bench to another, taking in the scenery of elderly and young people alike filling what she'd already come to consider a wasteland. But, most surprising of all, a tiny, soft hand was grabbing onto hers. "Mum, let's go!" Her daughter yelled out excitedly, hurrying her towards the ferris wheel. She couldn't recall the last time she'd noticed how frail that hand was, too.

Then, just as she was taking a step forward, she woke up.

Drenched in sweat, Dahlia found herself staring at the usual ceiling of her room. Only dim, early morning light filtered through the curtains and her vision was fuzzy. So, even though this was the one place she was supposed to find the most familiar, it took her a few seconds to adjust to reality. Or was this yet another dream?

"Matthew!" She yelled from the bed, holding back a squeaky voice. Upon remembering about the bell at her bedside, she began to shake it furiously, finding that her daughter's touch still lingered on her palm. Her daughter... just what was that about?

"Yes, madam!" As always, he'd come running.

"Is the park closed again today?"

"I'm not sure myself, madam. I could ask Ramon."

"Do it, then. Quick." 

She heard him muster a hurried reply of affirmation before scuttering down the stairs. 

Only then she really came to notice the sweat sticking to her nightgown. Sudden as it was, though, she knew she wouldn't tolerate that one minute longer. Throwing the sheets to one side in a slight burst of anger, she quickly got up and walked towards the door of her room, headed for the bathroom. Until her attention was caught by something else entirely. Her eyes had fallen on the photo frame at the entrance, or rather, maybe it had been on her mind all along. She couldn't help but breathe out a sigh while taking a good look at it. Matthew seemed so happy it made her almost feel bad. But hardly anything else was the same, for that matter. She wondered if that house, or perhaps the entire village, was slowly being left behind just like that trashed out park. 

_\---- timeskip ----_

The curtains of the living room were well tied-up, rendering the morning light unstoppable. It kept shining through as she watched Flora leave. Was that young girl stepping out into a better place?

Dahlia couldn't bring herself to imagine the two of them holding hands while walking towards a brighter future together. Even then, she could still remember the sensation of her daughter's hand back in the dream of that day.

Flora's hair was the only thing left visible by the rear car window. That colour, so different from Dahlia's, made her reminisce about her late husband. If she hadn't known better, this would've been just like watching him go again. But even having a clear picture of Flora wouldn't have made much of a difference: although their facial features happened to be strikingly similar, mere coincidence was all there was to it. In fact, despite their similarity, it would've been obvious to anyone that Flora and her weren't actually related, so long as they were in the same room. They two of them were painfully cautious not to step out of their own comfort zone and into the other's, too awkward and out of synch to ever be able to do so. And just like that, they'd always kept living with each other from afar, occasionally throwing glances as if longing for something.

If asked just exactly what motherly love was about, well, that may have been a puzzle Dahlia wouldn't have been able to solve. But even then, did she really have to come up with an answer? Because all the same, she felt that Flora didn't need to show her the love a child would to a mother in order for her to understand it.

"Are you sure that this is quite all right, madam?" Matthew's question resonated suddenly, interrupting her train of thought. Burying her chin in Claudia's soft white fur, she felt like cracking a small smile.

She knew for sure. That Flora was leaving.... such an event wouldn't further the distance between them one inch. Nor Flora staying would've ever shortened it. It was a distance that went beyond the physical aspect of things. Nevertheless, even from afar, she'd aways kept waching over Flora as she grew into the wonderful girl she was today. And that girl, who would keep growing from somewhere even farther away from her, Dahlia only hoped... that she'd always look back to a somewhat fond memory.


End file.
